Computer File Management

by Terry B. Ewell

Welcome. This is Terry Ewell and in this video I will
be talking about file management. I notice that many students at Towson
University do not have a systematic approach to saving their files and
backing up their files. As a result some of my students have lost their
homework due to some sort of problem with their computer. You want to be a
student that doesn’t have this happen. I must tell you that I have been
using computers for a good 30 years. In all of that time I have had a
couple of hard drives crash on computers and a couple of external drives
crash. However, I have lost minimal amount of information because I have
always had the practice of backing up my files.

So the question is to you is, “Where do your files
go?” Do you know where your computer files are and how you can back them
up? For instance, many times when we download files, they will appear in a
directory that is under (this is for PC computers) UsersàYourNameàDownloads.
It will be in this area called “downloads.” Sometimes, however, it may be
saved in “music,” or “pictures,” or “games,” “searches,” “videos,” or
something like that. Therefore not all your information will be saved in
the same location.

Same goes with a (MS) Word document. When you open a
Word document, type an assignment, and then you save the file by clicking
on the save button; where does that document go? Let’s save it and see if
we can find out. You can see if I save my document in Word (I will call it
test_M105) it is saved in TerryàDocuments.
This is a place that is found under UsersàMyNameàDocuments.

Well, I suppose first it is the rebellion in me that
doesn’t like to be told where my file will be saved. But also I find that
to make backups, having my music files saved in one location and my Word
files saved in one (other) location doesn’t make a lot of sense. I want to
save all the files I have for one class in one location and for another
class in one (other) location, and so on.

So the way that I would do this, the way that I have
done this for all sorts of subjects, is thus: I go to my “C” directory, my
main computer directory. I create (you can do this by right clicking on
“C” you can get a dialogue box that gives NewàFolder.
You can see that I have a new folder here. Let me rename this folder.
Let’s call it MUSC105. Now I have a folder where I can put all of my
information. It is a good practice in that folder to create
subdirectories. For instance, Assignment1: “Assign1.” “Assign2” etc. That was I have things nicely laid out
here and I can update my assignments.

Now if I go back to my Word document here, FileàSave
As. Go to ComputeràC:àMUSC105àAssign1.
So I can save my assignment 1 there. Let’s say I also want to download
this file, “flight of the Bumblebee,” for assignment 1. Right click, save
link as, then once again look for my directory, MUSC105, Assignment 1, and
then I can save it there. Now it is saved there in that same directory.

That is wonderful. If I go to look in that directory,
go look at Assignment 1, there they are. There are the two files. They are
all neatly packaged in the same place.

I want to emphasize this. If you have not saved a
file in two locations, you have really not “saved” your file. It is not
safe. Now, if you want to, you can use Google Docs, Carbonite, some sort
of online back up service,--that is great. I personally don’t like those
because I would rather keep my files private. I think that anything that
goes up on the web is then eventually is going to be in the domain of some
company or some person that I don’t have control over. So I use an
external hard drive. I back up to that.

I can, for instance, in my C drive (you might have a
thumb drive where you can do this) first find the precious file, MUSC105.”
I can then find my external drive, which here is Passport F. I can then
copy it over there.

OK, so now let me talk about the other thing. That is
to save multiple copies as you are working on documents. OK, I have made
one save of this, but what I do is each day when I open up the document --
let’s say it is now tomorrow—the first thing that I will do is I “save
as,” find my location in assignment 1, and I will save my next edition of
that. I will add underscore 2, “_2,”for my next edition. That means that I haven’t overwritten the
first edition. Now I can add more materials. If I make signification
changes during my time on this, I may then save it as a new version. Save
asàComputeràMUSC105àAssign1then save it as version 3. Computer memory is very cheap. There is
no reason why you shouldn’t save 10 or 15 editions as you continue to work
through the documents. This ensures that if a later file is corrupted in
some way that you have an earlier edition that is saved for you. Also you
may find that you make some later changes that you don’t really like. For
instance, in a musical composition –“I wish I had kept that earlier
edition.” Well if you keep backing up with different numbers, you will
have a systematic approach with those files. Because I use numbers in
mine, I know that the highest number is the last one that I worked on.
However, you may want to save with dates or something else. It really
doesn’t matter, as long as you have a systematic approach to saving files,
you have an idea of which file was the most current or most recent edition
of your file.

Last of all, when I am editing documents I do this
frequently: I save the files to the file (name) I have already created. I
do this very quickly by pressing “control” (cntrl) and then “S.” Pressing
these two together, first “control” and then “S” is a quick keyboard
command to save your files. Of course you can go to FileàSave
(or Save as) but that is a bit more clumsy.I that command “control” “S” works very quickly. Every few minutes
I will use “control” “S” to back up my files in case there is a sudden
power outage or something like that.

So, anyhow, if you adopt these methods, you have
files that are much more secure. Oh, by the way I actually back up files
in three places. So I have an external hard drive with my computer . I
(save files on those) daily as I work. At home in an entirely different
location once a week I will back up all of the other materials. That way I
know that if my computer or external hard drive were lost or stolen, at
least I have the materials at home on an entirely different drive.

I encourage you to be safe with your materials. Your
time is valuable. Just a systematic approach to gathering all your
materials together in one location make it easy to back up, and then
periodically (in another location) backing up those other materials. This
will make sure your materials are secure. Thank you, bye.